Amsterdam History School Trips & Tours - The Holocaust
A history school trip to Amsterdam gives students the chance to explore the story of the Holocaust and life under Nazi occupation in a real-world setting. From the Anne Frank House to the Jewish Quarter, students can see how these events unfolded and understand their impact on individuals and communities.
It’s a powerful way to bring themes such as persecution, resistance and daily life in occupied Europe into focus. Walking through the city helps students connect what they’ve learned in the classroom with real places and personal stories.
A great destination to learn about World War Two, all just a short distance from the UK. We also offer a range of alternative school trips to Amsterdam, depending on your needs.
Prices start from £309pp
Why choose Amsterdam for a history school trip?
Amsterdam offers a powerful way to study the Holocaust through real places and personal stories. Visiting sites such as the Anne Frank House helps students understand Jewish life before and during WWII, and explore themes of persecution, resistance and everyday life under occupation.
Why take a school trip to study the Holocaust?
Studying the Holocaust through real places helps students understand the human impact of events they learn about in the classroom. It encourages reflection, supports deeper understanding of themes like prejudice and responsibility, and helps students make meaningful connections between the past and the world today.
Where else can students study the Holocaust on a school trip?
Alongside Amsterdam, destinations such as Berlin and Krakow offer further opportunities to study the Holocaust in depth. From museums and memorials to sites including Auschwitz, each provides a different perspective, helping students build a broader understanding of events and their impact across Europe.
Price includes
- 2 nights’ B&B accommodation
- Executive coach transport from and to school and throughout your stay
- Extensive group travel insurance
- 1 in 8 free place ratio
Price shown is based on 40 paying passengers departing from selected departure points in November 2022 and is subject to availability.
Latest offers
Return & Save
Save on your next trip with our new loyalty reward. Click here for more information.
We're making school trips more accessible
Save up to £20pp when you book before the end of July. The sooner you book, the more you save – and those savings can make school trips possible for even more students. Find out more.
Top visits
Guided Walking Tour of the Former Jewish District – only with an Educationalist Guide
Exclusive to NST
The full day tour includes:
- Rembrandtplein
- The Kloveniersburgwal, scene of wartime demonstrations and Nazi barriers
- The Portuguese Synagogue
- The Jewish Historical Museum
- Auschwitz Memorial
- The Hollandsche Schouwburg deportation site
The day concludes with an optional visit to the Dutch Resistance.
Anne Frank House
Containing the preserved warehouse offices, annexe and a modern extension, students can visit the rooms where the Frank family hid for over two years and where Anne wrote her diary. The modern extension houses exhibitions on those hiding in the annexe and on the wider story of the fate of Europe’s Jewish population, as well as displays seeking to link these themes to contemporary issues relating to persecution and prejudice.
Camp Vught National Memorial
The only official SS-concentration camp in the occupied part of WWII and includes the Children’s Memorial, the crematorium and a reconstructed prisoners’ barracks. Groups can also benefit from the invaluable opportunity to meet a concentration camp survivor or a member of the survivor’s family at Camp Vught.
Jewish Historical Museum
Situated in a complex comprising four former synagogues in the heart of the old Jewish district, the museum covers all aspects of Jewish culture and religious belief.
Dutch Resistance Museum
Tracing the complex reaction to occupation as it evolved through the war, this excellent museum covers the difficult topics of collaboration and resistance in a thought-provoking and even-handed way.
Arnhem – Operation Market Garden
Visit this important WWII site either as a half day visit from Amsterdam or with Camp Vught or Amersfoort as a full day excursion. The tour includes visits to the Allied landing zones and the bridge in Arnhem itself but most time is spent in the suburb of Oosterbeek, where Allied troops were stopped and surrounded by German forces. Here you will visit the poignant CWGC cemetery and the excellent Airborne Museum which looks at the fighting from the perspective of the British, German and Polish troops involved as well as the longer term consequences for the Dutch population.
Portuguese Synagogue
This large, beautiful synagogue was built by the Sephardic community in the 17th century and is still used today.
Canal Cruise through Amsterdam
See the major sights of Amsterdam as you travel along the canal.
Rijksmuseum
Dedicated to arts, crafts and history, the museum has over 400 masterpieces on display telling the impressive tale of the political, economic and artistic wonder of Holland's Golden Age. In addition to eighteen works by Rembrandt, other favourite items of the public on display include Vermeer's famous 'The Kitchen Maid', Steen's depictions of daily life and exquisite Delftware.
Try our itinerary planning tool
Whether you already know what you’re looking for or need a spark of inspiration, our smart itinerary planning tool makes planning a school trip effortless. Just share your details, choose the visits that matter most, and our experts will shape the perfect trip for you.
Let’s make your trip planning experience even swifter.
On-tour support
NST History Subject Experts
Take one of our History Subject Experts with you on your next history school trip.
Our Subject Experts are former teachers with detailed knowledge of the current history curriculum. They are selected to meet your exact tour requirements, helping your group to get even more from their time outside the classroom. Making them the perfect companion for any of our school history trips.
Accommodation
Popular options in Amsterdam
Meininger Hotel Amsterdam City West
A very modern and comfortable hotel which offers a high standard of room as well as good in-house facilities. Safe location with excellent access to public transport links to central Amsterdam.
Stayokay Vondelpark
A modern, centrally-located hostel with young and friendly staff and with good facilities.
Meininger Hotel Amsterdam City West
A very modern and comfortable hotel which offers a high standard of room as well as good in-house facilities. Safe location with excellent access to public transport links to central Amsterdam.
Stayokay Vondelpark
A modern, centrally-located hostel with young and friendly staff and with good facilities.
Expert's comment
It is not always necessary to travel all the way to Eastern Europe in order to study the Holocaust in depth. The well-preserved traces of Amsterdam’s once huge and flourishing Jewish community and the well-documented story of its devastation make this a most rewarding visit, suitable for pupils of all ages.
Jeff Garner, NST History Educationalist Programme Co-ordinator
Curriculum
Study themes
-
The Holocaust
Study levels
-
A Level
-
AS Level
-
GCSE
FAQs
Why is Amsterdam such an important destination for history students?
Amsterdam provides a powerful setting to explore Jewish life and culture before the Second World War, offering well-preserved sites and museums that illuminate the human impact of persecution. For pupils studying the Holocaust, the city creates a deeply reflective, context rich learning experience just a short distance from the UK.
What curriculum themes can students explore during an NST Amsterdam trip?
Groups can examine Jewish community life, occupation under Nazi rule and the wider consequences of wartime persecution. Visits across the city help students connect classroom learning to lived experience, strengthening understanding of resistance, discrimination and survival in occupied Europe.
What key historical sites can groups visit in and around Amsterdam?
Students can explore the Jewish Cultural Quarter including the Portuguese Synagogue, take a tour of the Anne Frank House, where the Frank family hid for more than two years. Beyond the city, Camp Vught and Operation Market Garden sites offer vital insight into military history, occupation and the lived reality of war.
How do NST’s Subject Experts enhance learning?
All of our Subject Experts are professional academics, historians and writers, with incomparable knowledge of their subject area and an ability to communicate their learning in a way that will enlighten and stimulate your students. Your Subject Expert will contact you before your tour to discuss your learning objectives and build an itinerary that matches your requirements, enabling your group to get the most out of every day.
How does Amsterdam help students reflect on the human impact of the Holocaust?
Amsterdam’s preserved sites, testimonies and museums allow students to encounter personal stories behind historical events, deepening empathy and emotional understanding. Visits such as the Anne Frank House or lectures on the Dutch Jewish community help pupils connect individual experiences with wider historical themes.
What’s included in a typical NST Amsterdam history package?
Packages usually include two nights’ B&B accommodation, executive coach transport throughout, group travel insurance and a 1in8 free place ratio. All arrangements are designed to maximise subject learning while keeping trip planning straightforward for teachers.
Giving you full support throughout
Before your tour
- Dedicated NST expert from day one
- Responsive, flexible communication - Teams, phone, or email
- Same-day quotes
- Trips tailored to your budget, with transparent pricing
- Straightforward planning - we handle the details
- Step-by-step risk assessment guidance
- Free accommodation for group leader preview visits
- Curriculum-driven, enriching experiences across 100s of locations
- Unrivalled local knowledge & expertise
Whilst you're away
- Our travel app keeps all your info in one place
- On-tour support from our reps on the ground
- Support & assistance from our specialists
- 24/7 helpline and support
- Extensive group travel insurance
- Group-friendly accommodation
- Free educational resources
On your return
- Priority rebooking services
- Loyalty reward scheme for valued customers
- You say, we act - we're committed to continuously improving our tours
Speak to one of our school travel experts
Our team of school travel experts have unrivalled destination knowledge and experience so they can help to bring your tour ideas to life and might even suggest options you hadn’t already thought of too!
So get in touch today and we'll help to create a bespoke, budget-friendly tour itinerary to meet your specific learning requirements.
Browse our most popular history school trips
